Some officers within the New York Police Department will be going undercover inside movie theaters showing Joker amid fears of violence.
Department officials had previously told deputies that uniformed officers would be posted up at theaters airing the film, but in addition to the uniformed officers, some will be going undercover inside theaters across the city, according to Deadline.
The move comes after fears that the film, which stars Joaquin Phoenix, could inspire acts of violence among disaffected young men. Some of those concerns are fueled by a 2012 shooting during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises that killed 12 people and injured 70 others.
The Army released a memo last month warning of a credible threat from “incels” who “idolize the Joker character, the violent clown from the Batman series, admiring his depiction as a man who must pretend to be happy, but eventually fights back against bullies.”
A law enforcement official said that posting plainclothes officers in theaters was a precaution and noted that large-scale events are successfully secured by NYPD all time.
“This is 360-degree policing approach to ensure safety for ticket buyers in their seats, as well as on the streets,” the official said. “If something happens inside one of the screenings, we intend to be able to pacify the situation quickly and conclusively.”
In a Friday statement, the Los Angeles Police Department said there were no credible threats, but that it is “aware of public concerns and the historical significance associated with the premiere of Joker.”
The film has also been criticized for claims that it portrays the central figure as reminiscent of the profiles of mass shooters — dark and violent loners. A letter penned by family members of the 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colorado, expressed concern about the violence in the film and said the movie “presents the character as a protagonist with a sympathetic origin story.”
The director of the flick, Todd Phillips, responded to the criticism by blaming outrage culture and “the far left.”
“I think it’s because outrage is a commodity,” he said. “I think it’s something that has been a commodity for a while.”
“What’s outstanding to me in this discourse in this movie is how easily the far left can sound like the far right when it suits their agenda,” Phillips added.
The film is set to premiere Friday.
